MPSERS Employer News — December 2020

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MPSERS Employer News

December 2020

Happy holidays

Payroll calendar — making payments in January

Payroll calendar

On Jan. 1, 2021, dates from 2020 will no longer be available on the Period End Date drop-down menu on your Enter Payment Information screen.

After Jan. 1, when you’re making a payment, you will see only 2021 dates. If you need to make a payment for a 2020 report, please select the earliest date available on your drop-down menu.


Late payment fee interest rate changes on Jan. 1, 2021

Percent symbol

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, the interest rate charged on late payments will be 6%.

The rate of interest charged on any late contribution payment is determined by the actuarial rate of return from the prior year’s investments, less 2%; however, the rate cannot be less than 6%. The rate fluctuates annually at the beginning of the calendar year. The most recent calculated actuarial rate of return was 5.62% which means the shortfall interest rate will be the minimum 6%.

Delinquencies of any amount are a serious matter. Reporting units in shortfall are monitored closely by ORS Employer Reporting. Reporting units that repeatedly miss payments or make incomplete payments are at risk for increasing penalties. Check the statement balance due each pay cycle, then make payments in full and on time to avoid a daily (including weekends and holidays) assessment of interest on the delinquent balance. 

For the legal requirements regarding late fees and interest, see Public Act 300 of 1980, specifically MCL 38.1342(7). 

The Reporting Instruction Manual (RIM), section 8.02.02: Late Payment Fees, also offers further information on this topic. If you have more questions, contact us at ORS_Web_Reporting@michigan.gov.


RAC contacts

RAC contact updates

Thank you to all who have returned the 2020 Reporting Authorization Certification (RAC) form.

Many RAC forms requested that the Web Administrator also be made an Employer Reporting user type. Because the Web Administrator has all the accesses of an Employer Reporting user, plus the ability to reset passwords and update non-user contacts, ORS is not able to process these requests. Having a Web Administrator grant access to themselves would be a conflict of access and reporting roles.


Download Detail tool

Using the Download Detail tool

The Download Detail is a tool on the Employer Reporting website that allows you to view the details on the submitted reports in spreadsheet format. To access the tool from the Work on Reports page, click View Totals for the posted or unposted report. Then click the Download Detail link. You can use the Download Detail for your entire report, or for only posted records, unposted records, or adjustment records.

The spreadsheet lists all members on the report, their benefit structures, class codes, wages reported, calculated contributions from both member and employer, and TDP information, if reported. For members with a DC component, it also displays their reported and calculated DC contributions, whether the contributions have been transferred to Voya, and whether they have reached their IRS contribution limit.

The Download Detail spreadsheet can be especially helpful when looking for discrepancies in member and employer contributions. You can use the information from this spreadsheet to reconcile your reports with your payroll system output.

Download Detail spreadsheets are available on the Employer Reporting website for one year. Once the report is gone from the site, it cannot be re-created. It is important to keep a copy of the Download Detail after your report is 100% posted.


COMPENSATION CORNER: COVID-19

Compensation Corner

ORS has added a new section to the Reporting Instruction Manual (RIM) to address the reporting of certain types of compensation during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Section 4.09: COVID-19 and Reporting discusses how to report hazard pay, payment for work not performed, and leave pay, including the dates when each type of pay may be reportable on a DTL2. All these payment types are reportable on a DTL4 for employees with a DC component to their benefit plan.

The new section also shows a timeline of ORS communications regarding COVID-19 from ORS to reporting units, including links to past newsletters and to federal websites with guidance on compensation as it relates to work during the pandemic.

In This Issue:


calendar - dec 20 and Jan 21

Important Dates & Reminders

Dec. 24 – 25
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day — ORS is not open for business on these state holidays.

Dec. 31 – Jan. 1
New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day — ORS is not open for business on these state holidays.

Jan. 3
Scheduled system maintenance (Employer Reporting website unavailable)

Jan. 18
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. — ORS is not open for business on this state holiday.


Recent Communications

Recent Communications

No communications were sent since the last newsletter.


Recent RIM updates

Recent RIM updates

4.09 COVID-19 and Reporting (new 12/17/2020)

8.02.02 Late Payment Fees (updated 12/14/2020)


Helpful Tip

Helpful Tip

ORS is closed for business on Dec. 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1. Noting these dates will help you to keep your reports and payments on track.

Please see ORS Non-Business days on the PSRU for a complete list.

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